3 minute read
Edmond Life and Leisure - July 10, 2025
My First Rodeo
(Publishers note:Our intern from France was in town over the 4th of July and LibertyFest. We invited her to attend the Edmond rodeo. It was her first rodeo, and we wanted to know her impressions. Below are her thoughts.)
By Julia Moulin
As soon as I got out of the car and walked down the dusty path towards the Carl Benne Arena entrance I was overwhelmed by an impression of Deja vu and of novelty at the same time. Indeed, being amidst cowboys and cowgirls, driving horse trailers through the tall red entrance of the rodeo grounds felt so traditionally American from my French point of view.
However, since the rodeo is one of the stereotyped representations of the United States, I grew up watching many series and movies showing cowboys riding on the plains, so I already knew this environment in some way.
But as soon as the opening ceremony began it was much more spectacular in real life.
A strong sense of patriotism emanated from the display of the American, Oklahoman and rodeo club flags. It came from the “cowboy prayer’ and the national anthem too. At that moment it seemed that faith and tradition united all the people standing in the arena. The omnipresence of religion in the opening ceremony surprised me as it is very rare in France. However, it contributed to making this rodeo a unique foreign experience for me.
The competition started with men’s saddle bronc riding. It is hard for me to imagine waking up one day and deciding to compete in a sport where you must stay mounted on a bucking horse for eight
seconds using only one hand. However, the cowboys seemed to know what they were doing, and it was an impressive show.
In addition to the numerous basketball fans here in Oklahoma, there were many rodeo fans of all ages; from little children in tiny cowboy boots to elderly people; cheering along the riders. The competition carried on with tie down roping, steer wrestling, cowgirls breakaway roping, team roping. They then proceeded to place the barrels in the arena for the cowgirls to race. The speed at which they were riding and the control they had over their horses was truly astonishing.
The last event of this first night was the cowboys bull riding. As soccer is the most popular sport in France, the whole rodeo was a complete change of scenery. This particular event seemed irrational to me. Indeed, most of the riders only stayed on for a few seconds before the bull bucked them off.
I thought I would be the only foreigner in the arena, but apparently Edmond’s rodeo is international because there was a family from Sweden sitting next to us and one from Spain on the bleachers across the arena.
That was only one of the many surprising moments of the evening. The atmosphere of the rodeo was immersive, and it allowed me to get a glimpse of the rodeo life through the explanations of the announcer about therules and the riders; through horses and cattle being driven in trailers; the cowboy hats and chaps and the patriotism floating throughout the arena.
This may have been my first rodeo, but I hope it was not my last.
